reverse
Definitions
To change something to the opposite; to make a vehicle go backward.
使反转，颠倒；倒车，倒退。
To revoke or annul (a decision or judgment).
推翻，撤销（决定或判决）。
The opposite of something; the back or rear side; the gear for moving backward.
相反；背面；（汽车）倒挡。
Opposite in direction, order, or position.
相反的，反向的。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedre- (back) + vers (turn) = 'turn back / turn around.' Every sense is a 180-degree turn: reverse a car (motion backward), reverse a decision (overturn it), the reverse side (the turned-around back), reverse order (flipped sequence).
Root vers still carries 91 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.reverse a decision推翻决定
- 2.reverse a trend逆转趋势
- 3.in reverse倒着；相反
- 4.reverse engineer逆向工程
Example Sentences
- 1.
The court reversed the earlier ruling on appeal.
- 2.
She put the car in reverse and backed out slowly.
- 3.
Nothing could reverse the decline in sales.
- 4.
The design is printed on the reverse of the card.
Easily Confused
reverse vs revert — reverse turns the direction of something around (reverse a decision, reverse a car); revert returns something to a previous state (revert to old habits, revert a file). Reverse flips; revert goes back.